Fun in the Sun

You are killing it with this weather! 85 degrees!! In March? What’s the catch?
On second hand, don’t tell me. I’m enjoying this heat wave way too much.

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Believe it or not, my kids are not as impressed by this ridiculously awesome weather as I am. Who cares about an actual, real-live sunny day when you can see one on high-def television any time you want?

(((HEAVY SIGH)))

Despite the stiff competition that I face from the cavalcade of electronics that my kids cling to like security blankets, I still make the effort to “wow” them with plain, old-fashioned, home-made fun. It’s good for them to have a history lesson every now and again. And it’s always good for my ego to enjoy the stinging response that the suggestion of a game of tag or the building of an outdoor fort elicits. “Poor mom and her sad, paleolithic ideas,” their eye-rolls seem to suggest.

This super-easy sidewalk paint still somehow manages to be a hit, so today, after much negotiation, I managed to reach an amicable settlement with Kellan and Riss. They would go outside if I made paint. Deal.

The recipe for this stuff is available on a billion other websites, but basically it’s this:

Cornstarch, food coloring and water. Presto!

I mix it so it’s slightly watery. If you don’t add enough water you get a science project; semi-solid slime.
I serve it up in a thrift-store purchased muffin tin (so no worries if I ever offer you a freshly baked muffin – you can eat it knowing it was baked in a non-craft tin!)

Pretty!

Word of warning. When you go outside and paint on your driveway you will probably be all, “WTH??” because at first it looks like this:

This might be the moment where you start to lose your audience. Distract! Distract! Because after the water dries, you get this:

Be prepared for the “oohs” and “ahhhs”, because trust me, it’s pretty, pretty cool.
Larissa spent a good hour painting her little heart out while I read the latest issue of People Magazine and soaked up the sun.

Kellan was pretty happy telling me what to paint, but once it was all done, he said he was “tired” and decided to cozy up in a fleece blanket and survey the scene.

My kids are weird.

meanboys

Typically I can be seen at local Targets, Walmarts and other super-centers hissing veiled threats at a cartful of children while simulaneously appeasing them with Slurpies, popcorn, soft pretzels and gum.

I am a first grade teacher and mother to four (soon to be FIVE) children who I find delightfully clever, funny and adorable (when they are not being exhausting, persistent and pesky). Although I am driven to distraction by too much noise, it seems I function best in chaotic situations with tight deadlines. I am passionate about reading and writing, and consider myself witty and well-read (the people at Borders would be happy to verify this). When it comes to hard news, I choose to get most of my information from People, US Magazine and In Touch Weekly. I am currently working on my Master's, my sanity and watching every single episode in the Law & Order SVU and CI franchise. If you are a person who sneezes more than three times in a row you will be asked to leave my blog.